Earthquake shakes China’s Sichuan province, killing two and injuring 59

Three people are dead and 59 injured after a magnitude 6 earthquake shook Luxian county in China’s southwestern province of Sichuan at 4.33am on Thursday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC). The local authorities said 6,904 residents had been evacuated and more than 200 houses were damaged.

A combined team of more than 4,000 rescuers was sent to the affected area, after Sichuan’s earthquake relief headquarters and the local authorities initiated the highest and second highest levels of emergency response this morning. CENC said the quake struck at a depth of 10km, with the epicentre at 29.2 degrees north latitude and 105.34 degrees east longitude.